I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 382 The bull’s head is wrong.
Baiyan City, the study of the general's residence.

The air remained stuffy and murky, but General Hoffman's mood was quite different.

He stood with his back to the door, gazing at the completely fallen night outside the window, a rare, faint smile playing on his lips. The deep red wine in his hand swirled gently, as if in silent celebration.

The adjutant stood behind him, his expression grave, his voice tinged with urgency and worry.

"General, we just received an urgent message from the patrol team outside the city... The Third Light Cavalry Squad was ambushed on their way back, at the edge of the Black Pine Forest, less than five kilometers from us."

The losses were...extremely heavy; the entire army was wiped out, with only two empty horses returning.

A brief silence fell over the study, broken only by the sound of servants' footsteps outside. The adjutant nervously awaited the anticipated thunderous rage.

However, General Hoffman's reaction was unexpected.

"Oh?"

The general slowly turned around, his light gray eyes gleaming with a strange light in the dim light. It was not anger, but the excitement of a hunter finally seeing his prey step into the edge of the lasso.

Far from getting angry, his smile deepened, and he even raised his glass, offering a perfunctory toast to the night outside the window.

"good very good."

His voice was deep and cheerful, carrying a sense of all-knowing satisfaction.

"Finally couldn't hold back? Their actions were faster and more ruthless than I expected."

The adjutant was stunned.

"General? You mean..."

"This ambush."

General Hoffman walked to the huge oak desk and gently tapped the location of the black pine forest on the map.

"The timing was precise, the methods ruthless, and the execution clean and efficient. This was not the work of ordinary bandits or scattered soldiers, nor could it have been done by refugees outside the city."

He raised his head and looked sharply at his adjutant.

"The ambush operation must be carried out by elite forces, and these elite forces must have a clear objective and a deep understanding of us!"

"Think about it, who is most likely the person standing here right now?"

The adjutant suddenly realized.

"You mean the remnants of the Tia family? Their guards, or... their private army?"

"Exactly!"

General Hoffman said confidently, a cunning glint in his eyes.

"Only they could so accurately bite the bait we threw out, and so decisively ambush our cavalry who went to 'clear the field'!"

They were nearby, in these mountains and forests, like a pack of wolves that had smelled blood!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if the ambush was not by his elite cavalry, but by a big fish that had finally taken the bait.

"Losing a cavalry squad? It's worth it! As long as we can lure them out and into my trap!"

Seeing the general's excited expression, the adjutant still felt heavy-hearted about the annihilation of that cavalry force. After hesitating for a moment, he still offered his speculation.

"General, is it possible that the Bagnians ambushed our men? They are also rushing into the mountains, and there are many of them."

"It's possible, but unlikely."

Hoffman disagreed. "White Rock City is about two hundred kilometers away from the front line, and there are a lot of refugees outside the city. Taking this city has no strategic significance and will only be a burden to them... Even if it is them, our trap will capture a group of Bagnian elites, which is worthwhile."

"Now that the enemy has appeared, and is so ferocious, should we reduce our patrol area, concentrate our forces, and strengthen the city's defenses and the security of major passages? This will prevent the enemy from having any further opportunities, while we concentrate our efforts on the search..."

"That's what the adjutant suggested."

"No!"

General Hoffman categorically rejected the idea, his tone resolute.

"On the contrary!"

He walked to the map and forcefully traced his finger across the area surrounding White Rock City.

"shrink?
Wouldn't that be telling those cunning rats that we're scared? That we've discovered them?

No, we want them to think...we're 'weak,' 'slow,' that their ambush was successful, that we were hurt, but...helpless!"

His eyes gleamed with calculating cunning.

"Lieutenant, relay my orders: First, patrols shall continue as usual, and even be increased in frequency and coverage area, casting a wider net and allowing patrol teams to venture into previously less-explored peripheral areas, especially those near the mountains and forests!"

The adjutant was even more confused.

"Increase patrols?"
But General, wouldn't that make it even easier for him to be…

"Hear me out."

General Hoffman interrupted him, tapping his finger heavily on the map. "But under no circumstances should the number of patrols be increased. Each patrol must maintain the same number of men, or even be slightly fewer than usual, and their equipment must remain at the standard of light patrols."

He looked into his adjutant's bewildered eyes and patiently explained, as if he were teaching a student.

"A small patrol team, seemingly 'isolated and helpless,' is 'running around frantically' in a vast area... What does this mean to those 'rats' who are eager to find a breakthrough and rescue their loved ones?"
It's an opportunity!
It's a vulnerability!
This is the perfect lure to draw them closer to White Rock City, to try and spy on the city's interior, and even to attempt to make contact with the 'bait'!

He strolled back to the window, gazing at the dark mountain silhouettes outside the city, as if he could see through the "prey" lurking within.

"They ambushed my cavalry, proving their existence and their audacity. They also definitely captured prisoners and learned about the situation in the city."

Now, I'm going to give them a more 'safe' and 'tempting' illusion. I'll make them think that as long as they carefully avoid our 'weak' patrols, they can infiltrate the city, find out the 'weaknesses' within, and discover an opportunity for rescue.

I will make them walk, step by step, into the trap I have carefully prepared for them!

The adjutant finally understood the general's intentions completely. A chill ran down his spine, but at the same time he felt awe for the general's profound wisdom.

This is not a simple military mobilization, but a psychological game, a vicious trap to lure the enemy into a snare.

The general intends to use these seemingly exposed patrols as new and more deadly bait to completely lure the hidden forces of the Tia family into the heart of the already-spreading death net of White Rock City!

"My subordinate understands!"

The adjutant stood up straight.

"I will immediately relay your orders: increase patrol coverage, maintain squad organization, and create 'loopholes'!"

"Go."

General Hoffman waved his hand, picked up his glass again, took a small sip, and turned his gaze back to the boundless darkness outside the window. His eyes were calm as water, yet contained a deadly vortex.

The second layer of the trap had already been laid. He could almost see those self-proclaimed clever "rats" being led step by step by invisible threads toward the slaughterhouse he had set up.

(End of this chapter)